In its statement, The Guild emphasises that the Society component of Pillar 2 in Horizon Europe must be anchored in a clear and robust R&I strategy capable of addressing the uncertainties European societies face and of enhancing Europe’s ability to adapt and prepare for the future.
The current lack of clarity in the budget allocation within the Society component raises significant concerns. The Guild therefore calls on the European Commission to give transparent budget allocations for each instrument within the Society component and to clearly specify the resources dedicated to SSAH-led collaborative research to address major societal challenges.
The Society component must support collaborative R&I that reinforces and enables competitiveness through a commitment to strengthening democratic participation, our heritage(s), the cultural and creative industries, and social cohesion. To this end, the Guild highlights three thematic priority areas FP10 should prioritise:
1. Shaping transformations
Geopolitical instability, climate change, digital disruption and demographic transition are among the transformations that institutions are still learning to understand. FP10 should enable SSAH expertise to significantly boost research capacity in these areas, building Europe's ability to navigate these fundamental challenges and act before they become unmanageable.
2. Sustaining democratic, inclusive and secure societies
Growing fragmentation and decline of institutional trust are serious challenges the EU is currently facing. Democratic resilience, inequality and security, supported in the current Horizon Europe programme, must remain key research priorities in FP10.
3. Leveraging culture, identity and diversity
Europe’s soft power, cultural diplomacy and international engagement are defined by its cultural and linguistic diversity. Research on cultural diversity and coexistence in fast-changing times is critical to countering polarisation and intolerance, thereby strengthening societal cohesion in the face of deep uncertainties.
It is important that the European Commission’s draft FP10 proposal includes an explicit commitment to SSAH-led collaborative research through its Societies component. It is now critical that policymakers express the strongest possible vision around this, to ensure Europe’s competitiveness – and the research that must support it – is grounded in a clear vision of how accelerating change can strengthen institutional trust and social cohesion, grounded in individual purpose and well-being.
Secretary-General Jan Palmowski